Pope Leo XIV offers Vatican as venue for Ukraine peace talks

Pope Leo XIV has offered the Vatican as a venue for direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, following the failure of an anticipated summit in Istanbul to bring together the principal parties to the conflict.

The new pontiff’s initiative comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to attend the peace negotiations in Türkiye, which he had earlier proposed, Caliber.Az reports, citing Politico.

The Vatican described the outcome as “tragic,” expressing disappointment at the breakdown of efforts to restart dialogue in the war, now in its fourth year.

“This is all tragic because we hoped that it would be a, maybe slow, process, but with a peaceful solution to the conflict, and instead we are back at the beginning,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State and the Holy See’s top diplomat. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Rome on Friday, Parolin noted the gravity of the situation and the difficulty of the path ahead. “Now we will see what to do, but the situation is difficult.”

Parolin confirmed that Pope Leo XIV “plans to make the Vatican, the Holy See, available for a direct meeting between the two sides,” according to a statement reported by the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

Since his election last week, Pope Leo XIV has signalled that pursuing peace in Ukraine will be a central objective of his papacy. On Sunday, he held a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which he expressed concern for “the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people.” The pontiff echoed this sentiment during his first public blessing in St. Peter’s Square.

On May 14, during an audience with representatives of the Eastern Churches, Pope Leo issued a heartfelt appeal to the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, urging them “with all his heart” to come to the negotiating table. “The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together face to face … Let us meet, let us talk, let us negotiate,” he said. “Those who make history are the peacemakers.”

In his first message posted to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on May 15, Leo XIV issued a global appeal for peace: “I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, and among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world.”

The Vatican has played an active diplomatic role throughout the war. Pope Francis, Leo XIV’s predecessor, dispatched envoys to both Kyiv and Moscow, and was instrumental in efforts to reunite Ukrainian children with their families and to broker prisoner exchanges. While Francis supported Ukraine’s right to defend itself, he also drew criticism early in the conflict for remarks that appeared to assign blame to NATO expansion.

Cardinal Parolin also noted that the Vatican is working to arrange a potential meeting between Pope Leo and US Vice President JD Vance during the pope’s inauguration ceremony on Sunday. Prior to his election, a social media account widely believed to be associated with Leo XIV had posted critical comments about the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including direct rebukes of Vance.

Asked about the likelihood of a meeting between the two, Parolin said, “I don’t know, the problem is that there are so many delegations; there is very little time and so they will see each other if there is time. Protocol is working on it.”

By Tamilla Hasanova